There are four main sections to the NCLEX and its overall goal is to determine how well a registered nurse candidate can use their critical thinking skills when making professional judgments in real life nurse practice. It is not sufficient to just memorize the NCLEX review sessions. Essentially one must apply in a rigorous fashion the learnings of your college course to the real life instances scenarios a professional registered nurse will probably face.
These four major categories:
- The Safe and Effective Care Environment
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity
- Physiological Integrity.
These categories are felt to consider patient needs throughout a normal human life span and here they are in little more detail:
- The Safe and Effective Care Environment section represents 17-23 percent of the exam.
The section includes Management and Care, Safety and Infection control, Advocacy, Client Rights, and Ethical Practice. Various categories covered in Safety and Control include Accident Prevention, Hazardous Materials and the Use of Restraints.
- Health Promotion and Maintenance represent 6-12 percent.
Concepts covered in this section include the Aging Process, Disease Prevention, and High Risk Behaviors.
- The Psychology Integrity section accounts for 6-12 percent.
This includes Coping Mechanisms, Mental Health Concepts and Stress Management.
- Physiological Integrity section accounts for 38-62 percent of the questions.
Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological and parental Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential, and Physiological Adaptation.
